


Of Hats and Forgiveness

by FollyOfWinchester



Series: Self-Indulgent Epilogue Ruination Write-xtravaganza [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Character(s) of Color, Childhood Friends, Daddy Issues, Family, Family Drama, Gen, HP: Epilogue Compliant, Harry Potter Next Generation, Hogwarts, Non-Binary Teddy Lupin, Sorting, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-17
Updated: 2016-01-10
Packaged: 2018-05-07 07:43:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5448731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FollyOfWinchester/pseuds/FollyOfWinchester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scorpius and Albus become fast friends. Young Weasleys and Malfoys get along rather better than expected. The next generation support one another at Hogwarts as the adults in their lives sort things out at home. Set during the 2017-2018 academic year of Hogwarts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Offered Hand

**Author's Note:**

> This fic takes only the information in the books as canon. I have not followed Pottermore, so there may be discrepancies between what I write and what has canonically taken place through information on Pottermore.
> 
> Don't read this if you can't handle me never finishing it. Mind the changing tags.
> 
> Please let me know if my brutish American fake-English slips in anywhere that's noticeable.

Albus watches as James and Rose skid merrily into an unoccupied compartment after tossing a packet of Creepy Crawlies that George had gifted them into a decidedly more occupied compartment. In the wake of a chorus of shrieks and screams, he shakes his head and turns on his heel in the opposite direction. He had other, more serious concerns than pranks on his mind. Like Sorting. And Gryffindor courage. And Slytherin cunning. And how little interest he had in either.

As he walks down the aisle searching for an empty, or at least quiet, compartment, Albus hears his name called. He spins in surprise to find a platinum blond boy studying him quizzically from a seat next to the window. After hearing so many tales of the War from his dad, often revolving around Draco Malfoy and his dubious involvement, Albus knew without thinking the name of this near folktale of a person in his household. It was strange, being told things about someone, but having never met them. Unable to hide his interest, he sits down next to the boy, "Are you Scorpius? Scorpius Malfoy?"

Scorpius nods and pins him with an appraising look, "Did you know that _my_ father talks about _your_ father almost constantly?"

Albus starts. He was about to say nearly the same thing. "What? Really? My dad talks about your dad all the time, too! And he talks about you and how he hopes you won't-- Well, I don't really know your dad, so I feel a little-- Er, anyway, he talks about you sometimes so I've been rather sort of curious what you were like."

"It's fine, you know. I'm sure the 'Savior of the Wizarding World' has quite a few choice words to share on the subject of my father," Scorpius rolls his head to look out the window of the train, "ex-Death Eater."

Albus looks at his lap. His dad had certainly said some questionable and complicated things about the elder Malfoy, but Albus also knew he had kept Mr. Malfoy out of Azkaban, so it couldn't be all that bad, right? Albus looks up to find that Scorpius is still staring out the window. He jumps when Scorpius picks up talking again.

"I suppose some marks just don't wear off," Scorpius looks over at Albus, "Do you think," he sighs, "that we'll end up like them?" He looks down and fiddles with the fabric of his robes. His voice gets quiet, muffled against his chest, "I don't want to be angry all the time."

Albus shakes his head. He knows exactly what Scorpius means. "Me neither," he intones softly and his eyes slip back into his lap, "me neither." A feeling of easy familiarity with Scorpius wells up in Albus' throat and an idea suddenly strikes him. He decides to offer it up, "What if...what if we made a vow?"

"What, like an Unbreakable Vow? With magic? But we're not allowed to cast--"

"No, I mean with plain old words. Let's make a vow that we'll try and be happy at Hogwarts. That if we see one of us acting like one of our dads, then we'll remind each other of the vow we took."

Scorpius blinks at him.

Albus deflates. It was a silly idea. "Sorry, it's stupid. Nevermind." He turns to look at the compartment door, feeling foolish. Albus hears Scorpius clear his throat in the seat next to him.

"I vow that if you carry on like the worst thing that ever happened to you was meeting me, that I'll remind you that I think-- That you seemed a fine acquaintance to make on the train and that probably hasn't changed," Scorpius finishes with a authoritative sniff.

Albus smiles and turns back to Scorpius, "I vow that if you start complaining about my looks and the way that I talk like it's the most horrible crime for me to exist, that I'll remind you that I thought you would make a great friend on the train." He reaches out his hand and Scorpius hesitates a moment before grabbing it and shaking fiercely, a smile in his eyes but not quite on his lips.

"Agreed. It sounds as though our fathers are more alike than they might let on, Albus."

Albus laughs and lets his hand drop to his lap, "You can call me Al if you want. Makes it sound less like I'm guaranteed Gryffindor in the Sorting."

Scorpius finally smirks, "You don't have to tell me. With a name like Scorpius Malfoy, what option do I have but sleeping under the lake?"

They fall into a companionable chat about their respective likes and dislikes for the various houses, but Albus doesn't feel half as nervous as he had talking with his parents at the station. If he got Sorted Gryffindor, he had his brother, and if he got Sorted Slytherin, he had a friend.


	2. Earn Your Colors

"Scorpius Malfoy!"

Scorpius looks over his shoulder at Albus as his name is called and gives him a nervous half-smirk that Albus doesn't manage to return. He watches as Scorpius takes a seat on the small stool across the stage and Professor McGonagall places the Sorting Hat on his head. It raises its worn leather eyebrows in surprise and several moments pass. Scorpius' face grows increasingly vacant and his eyes widen as the silent audience watch the spectacle. Finally, the Sorting Hat furrows its brow and bellows its verdict.

"Ravenclaw!"

The Great Hall remains silent in the immediate wake of the announcement. Scorpius looks strickenly toward Albus and then at the floor. Students at the Slytherin table, some of whom had already gotten to their feet, look between one another in confusion before mass whispering breaks out among them. Slowly, students at the Ravenclaw table begin to stand up, some clapping, some beckoning Scorpius toward them.

A tall boy with a Prefect badge pats Scorpius on the back as he reaches the table. His welcome carries above the commotion so that Albus can make it out, "No hard feelings, ah? We were just surprised, that's all. Glad to have you, Scorpius!"

"Yes, I'm always up for a good puzzler," says a girl across the table in a shrill voice, "but won't your pop be a bit upset?"

Albus sees Scorpius stiffen at that, and he makes a mental note to remind him of their vow on the train at his next opportunity. He sees Scorpius' mouth forming words, but he can't make out his response over the din, and all too suddenly his attention is drawn away.

"Albus Potter!"

Albus swallows. He clasps his hands together tightly to hide his jittery shaking and manages not to trip as he sits. He sets the tight V of his arms across his thighs so as not to look like he's praying. The Sorting Hat slips down around his ears and wiggles a bit before settling into place. He winces and waits, his mind a whirl of confusing thoughts and primary colors.

A voice sounds inside Albus' head, _I see you've been worrying about sitting here quite a lot, but you can't seem to settle on a hope for the outcome._

Albus sighs and nods against the weight hanging on his forehead. _I can't decide_ , he thinks. Gryffindor, his family. Slytherin, his namesake. And now Ravenclaw, his newest friend. _Please, help me. Who am I supposed to be?_

 _Why, yourself, of course. And with you, young Potter, best for that is_ \--

"Hufflepuff!"

 _Hufflepuff?_ The option hadn't even crossed Albus' mind. He'd been so caught up wondering between Gryffindor and Slytherin that he'd practically forgotten that there are, in fact, four houses at Hogwarts. He rolls the word around in his head as he walks to the table amongst loud cheers and applause. At least he wasn't met with complete silence like Scorpius. He looks over at the Ravenclaw table and finds Scorpius with his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. If he's honest, he feels like doing the same thing. _What will Dad think?_

Albus reaches the Hufflepuff table and sits down, shaking hands and accepting claps on the shoulder from his newfound housemates. Once the Sorting has everyone's attention again, he turns on the bench and reaches over to tap Scorpius on the shoulder.

Scorpius startles and cautiously glances behind him. His eyes are red-rimmed and wet and the sight makes Albus forget some of his own troubling thoughts out of concern for his friend. He gives Scorpius a weak grin and a thumbs up.

Scorpius cups a hand against his cheek and whispers harshly, "Oh, Al, how will I explain this to my father? Merlin, he's going to be absolutely _furious_!"

When more cheers and applause erupt as the Sorting continues, Albus motions for Scorpius to scoot over on the bench and slips in beside him, "Well, he's not here at Hogwarts, is he? And we made a vow, remember?"

Scorpius swallows audibly and nods.

"I thought you'd make a great friend on the train, and you being a Ravenclaw instead of a Slytherin doesn't change that."

"Thank you, that's what I've been _trying_ to tell him! Exactly, you seem like a lovely person, Scorpius! I'm sure your pop will get over it," chimes the same shrill-voiced girl from before. She sweeps a lock of jet black hair that's fallen across her cheek back behind her ear. "Hyun Park, by the by," she extends her hand to Albus, "I'm a second year. And Albus, was it?"

Albus likes Hyun immediately. She seems honest and kind and he hopes she'll look out for Scorpius, too, since he'll be in the Hufflepuff dorms some of the time. He nods and shakes her hand before turning back to Scorpius and putting an arm around his shoulders, "See, we're making more friends already. It can't be _all_ bad, then."

A hopefully look flashes in Scorpius' eyes through the tears welling up on his lower lids. He swallows and nods again.

Albus chats with Hyun and Scorpius sits quietly listening as the Sorting winds down. Finally, Albus' ears perk up at a name he recognizes.

"Rose Weasley!"

The Sorting Hat barely touches her head before yelling its answer.

"Gryffindor!"


	3. Holographic

Albus lies resting on the yellow plaid duvet of his new bed in the Hufflepuff dormitory reflecting on the evening. The decor reminds him of a bumblebee flitting between flowers in a garden and he smiles. If dinner with his dorm mates was any indication, the Sorting Hat had been bang on about Hufflepuff being best for being himself. Every conversation he'd had felt easy and fun. People smiled when he talked, laughed when he joked, and it all felt like an extension of his family--a whole House of new siblings. 

He'd left Scorpius and Hyun for the Hufflepuff table once the food had arrived, and spent the evening getting to know two boys by the names of Donald McGreggor and Magnus Tiberius Boon. Donald, who preferred Don, was a first-year half-blood like Albus and had been similarly worried about the Sorting, with his parents urging him toward Ravenclaw and his friends urging him toward Gryffindor. When the Hat had suggested Hufflepuff, he'd actually been relieved that he wouldn't be seen as siding with anyone. Magnus, who preferred that you say his full name when addressing him because he loved it so much (or just "MTB" for short), was a third-year Muggle-born from America who'd been invited to attend Hogwarts by a group of British wizards doing research on Metamorphmagi. Magnus apparently was one of the few known Muggle-born Metamorphmagi, but he could only change his eye color. He favored bright colors because they shown out against his deep brown skin.

The trio had talked all through dinner and taken ages to head to their dorms from the common room after. They discussed everything from "Star Trek," a Muggle story about space travel that Magnus' grandmother was obsessed with because it featured a black actress, to hang gliding, a sport that Donald's Muggle father enjoyed which sounded similar to flying on a broom except without the magic. Of course, the conversation eventually came back around to the topic of what it was like being the son of Harry Potter, to which Albus replied, "Normal, I guess," politely excused himself to head to bed, and resolved to find Scorpius at breakfast the next morning. He had been sidestepping the question all night, and at half past eleven he didn't feel quite up to exploring it further, even if his new friends were quite wonderful. Beyond that one blip the evening had been stellar. He smiles again at the roof of his bed.

A moment later the phrase "son of Harry Potter" skitters back into Albus' mind and reminds him that he still needs to tell his dad about the Sorting results. It's after midnight now, but Albus digs in his pocket and produces a small, transparent prism. He runs his thumb over its surface and sighs. Teddy Lupin had given it to him as a gift just a week ago. "Like a firecall without all the soot! I've got the partner!" xe had said, and indeed concentrating on the center of the stone sent a three dimensional representation of your face to the other person's prism. Albus briefly wonders if it's too late to contact Teddy tonight, but xe was the Head Boy of Hufflepuff just last year and knows his dad well, so who better to discuss the situation with?

Albus dithers for a moment before shutting his bed curtains and holding up the prism on its end in his palm, "Er...Teddy?"

A few seconds pass with no response until Albus feels certain that Teddy is asleep and out of range to hear his voice through the connection. Just as he's about to put the prism back in his pocket, he's met by a familiar face with familiarly unfamiliar hair.

"Al, hey," Teddy lets out a bit blearily. Ablus watches as Teddy's features shift to the more androgynous appearance that Teddy favored when it was just them and Auntie Andromeda. Of the Potter-Weasley clan, only Albus had been trusted to know Teddy's actual gender identity. It was a sacred secret between them that Albus would take to the grave unless Teddy told him otherwise. Teddy looks past Albus for a moment and then gives him a warm smile, "Nice to have a spot of family in yellow rather than red, but what's this? You look a bit upset."

Albus sighs, "No, it's been great so far. It's just-- What will Dad think? He certainly didn't name me after any Hufflepuffs."

"Your ol' dad knew, Al." Albus watches as Teddy's forehead takes on a small lightning bolt scar and xyr hair becomes decidedly darker, "He pulled me aside at your birthday party and said, 'Teddy, I've got a feeling about Albus. Take good care of him for me if he's Sorted your way.' And a promise is a promise." Teddy's hair returns to an iridescent green and the mimicked scar disappears from under xyr fringe.

 _Dad knew._ Albus shakes his head and grins at Teddy. Xe grins back, but lets out a big yawn and Albus takes it as a cue that it is indeed too late to be calling, "Sorry, Teddy, I'll let you get back to sleep. Sorry to wake you up over nothing."

"It's not nothing if you're feeling off about it. And one of the only good reasons to be woken up is so you can help someone else out," xyr features shift a bit more fine and xyr eyelashes get longer, "but we all need our beauty rest. Night, Al. Call anytime." Teddy winks and xyr face disappears from inside the prism.

Immensely relieved, Albus slips the stone back in his pocket and leans back against the headboard. _Dad knew. Of course he did. He always does._ He smiles. Hopefully, Scorpius' dad would surprise him, too.


	4. Morning Mail

Despite what Albus had said after they'd been Sorted, it was, indeed, all bad for Scorpius. He'd made up his mind to wait to owl his parents until he'd settled in a bit, but the very next morning he received two letters that were as good as Howlers to a Malfoy. Apparently, Pansy Parkinson's daughter, Viconia, had owled for him after watching him take a seat at the Ravenclaw table, because his grandmother's letter began with "I regret that I was informed by young Viconia Parkinson, rather than my only grandchild..." However, beyond being disappointed in him for not sending an owl himself, his grandmother did have a few supportive things to say, such as that she would always love him and that Ravenclaw, while of course not her first choice for his future, was the most respectable of the remaining three houses.

His father, however... The second note, in his father's sharp script, read simply:

> Dearest Scorpius,
> 
> We must discuss the potential for a re-Sorting with the Headmistress. If your desire with this performance was to upset me, consider your efforts successful.
> 
> Sincerely,  
>  Your Loving Father

Scorpius reads it through once more and lays his head on the table with the earnest wish that he would never have to make eye contact with anyone ever again. He feels tears tugging at the corners of his eyes when a tentative hand comes to rest on his shoulder.

"Scorpius? What's happened?" Albus leans down and tries to meet his gaze, so Scorpius shifts his head away to the other side and slowly slides his father's letter across the table. Albus takes a moment to read and then asks matter-of-factly, "Was it a performance? Did you get Ravenclaw on purpose?"

"No, the Sorting Hat chose for me like everyone else," and truly, the things that the Sorting Hat had told him made Ravenclaw sound lovely. He'd asked it to compare and contrast Slytherin with the next best house for him, and point for point he had favored Ravenclaw. The realization was frightening, but when the Hat had bellowed Ravenclaw, some part of him knew that it was the right choice, even if his father would not be pleased.

"I'm just asking because apparently you _could_ do it on purpose. Get a different house, that is. My dad says you can ask the Sorting Hat for a certain house and it will take that into account."

"What?!" Scorpius lifts his head and wipes his eyes. He'd asked the Sorting Hat for details on the next best house! Had he unwittingly affected the verdict? "I asked the Hat to tell me about Ravenclaw! Do you think-- Could I have-- Oh, _Merlin_!" Scorpius returns his head to the table with a thump.

"Well, did you have a nice night? I mean, did Ravenclaw seem right for you?"

Scorpius' heart jumps at the chance to talk about something other than his inadvertent Sorting crimes against his father. "Oh, Al, it was amazing! Students were writing puzzles for one another and telling elaborate jokes about the professors and sharing the spells they'd invented over the summer. _Students_ , Al, in the common room, inventing new spells! And Hyun introduced me to her best friend, another second year named Elaina, and we spent the night telling one another riddles until we were too exhausted to answer them properly anymore! And one of my dorm mates has a pet cat, and Father would _never_ have let me choose a cat, but I simply love them, and it curled up on my chest like it knew how much I wanted it to and helped me fall asleep. It was marvelous, absolutely marvelous!"

Scorpius looks over at Albus and finds that he's smiling and nodding, "Then you couldn't have botched your Sorting. If you had purposefully asked for the wrong house, you'd have hated it, wouldn't you think? Plus, I think that old hat must be a bit more savvy than letting us pull one over on it. If you were really meant for Slytherin, it would have no doubt sent you there."

Scorpius considers for a moment and sees the logic in Albus' reasoning, "You're right...but-- How do I explain that to my father? Considering this?" He stares down at the letter on the table and runs his fingers nervously over the texture of the heavy stationary and the broken Malfoy wax seal.

Albus shifts next to him, searching around for something in his bag, "Last night, I found out my dad already knew I was going to be Sorted Hufflepuff. I bet if you write a really nice letter explaining what you just told me about how happy being in Ravenclaw made you yesterday, then your dad might surprise you, too. I think, as angry as they are with the rest of the world, our dads mostly just want _us_ to be happy."

Scorpius silently accepts a piece of parchment as it's handed his way and pulls a quill and ink from his own bag. He watches as Albus starts in on a letter to his father, "What are you going to write?"

Albus shrugs, "I'm going to tell him that I've made a great new friend in Ravenclaw named Scorpius, that I love being a Hufflepuff, and that I miss him and Mum and Lily. Want to read it when I'm done?"

"Only if you'll read mine."

"Sure, of course. What are you going to write?"

Scorpius smiles conspiratorially at Albus, "I'll explain that my friend Albus helped me write this letter, that being a Ravenclaw feels too right to be a performance, and that I miss him and Mother terribly."

Albus laughs and squeezes Scorpius' shoulder briefly before returning to his writing, "Plagiarism? Maybe you do belong in Slytherin after all!"

Scorpius snorts indelicately, "Maybe I'll add a line about it, 'As a show of goodwill toward Slytherin, I plagiarized the general content of this letter.' I'm sure that will please Father immensely!" They both laugh and Scorpius feels so much lighter. Albus was right, after all. More than anything, he knows his father loves him and wants him to be happy. If he can show that having Albus as a friend and being a Ravenclaw make him happier than he'd ever dreamed possible, he's quite sure that his father will come around. He always does.


End file.
